There are many ways to fund your deals.  One of the ways is something called Hard Money.  Getting this type of is from a hard money lender and a not a bank or conventional methods.

These are people or organizations that have money and can lend it quick and fast.  They will lend you money based on the real estate deal itself and not you and your own personal credit.  This is one reason why people go for hard money.

Depending upon the lender they will usually look for a property at 50 -70% of the ARV - after repaired value.  This may vary by area but that is the general range.  The interest rate is usually usually high and is usually around 11% - 17%.  They will also charge anywhere from 3 - 8 points which are an upfront fee you must pay for the money.  Finally they will usually lend you the money for a short term period of a few months to a few years max.

Hard money lenders are able to close fast on the house because they are using cash.  You won’t be qualifying for any conventional bank loans where that will take months and months to qualify and close.

Many real estate flipping beginners will look to hard money lenders for their first few deals just to get the experience at real estate flipping.  Especially with our current mortgage crisis in the United States using conventional bank financing will be to slow and may not be what you want at the moment.

That is why you will need to give hard money lenders and chance.  While it may be a steep price to pay, it doesn’t compare to getting the flip completed and onto your next one.

In a later post I will show you how to find cheaper money for more experienced real estate flippers.

Popularity: 30% [?]

When you are in the house flipping business it is always wise to treat it as a business and not a hobby. That is something that many people forget. They become too attached to the properties and over do the repairs.

The most important aspect of the house flipping business is to spend your time wisely and focus on the business growth.

Many investors also decide to do every repair on their own. This often fails to be the wrong approach. Budgeting properly for repairs and hiring a contractor to do the repairs is key. It is much more profitable for you to work on finding the NEXT BIG DEAL than spending 4 months repairing the house yourself.

But the point of this post is to give you a great free resource that is available that will show you how to do nearly any small repair when hiring a contractor is too much.

Bob Vila’s How To Library

Bob Vila has a great resource on his website for you to see. It will show you many repairs as if they are your problem. You can learn what to do and how to do it with out actually doing it. Sometimes it will be okay to do the small repair yourself without hiring a contractor to come in and do it.

Sometimes it is okay to make that small repair yourself as it truly isn’t that hard. I hope you enjoy it.

Remember that you are in the house flipping business and you are not a repair man but sometimes it is okay to make a small repair yourself.

Popularity: 38% [?]

You can never undermine the importance of green space in one’s community. A recent research cited by National Geographic suggests that spending time in green parks and gardens work like natural therapies for which we don’t have to do anything.

While it calms us down and helps regulate our blood pressure and circulation, it also nurtures our minds. So if you have the luxury of having a garden, then it’s a luxury worth working for. There are many ways in which you can design your garden, and a lot depends on space too. Landscaping too can vary from garden to garden. But there are some things that are universal to gardening regardless of its size, and it’s nothing you can’t do on your own.

You hardly need to be told to lay that green carpet on your garden. It is the first and most obvious step. Then sprinkle your garden with seasonal flowers and add a slash of color to your surrounding. You can easily buy packets of flowering seeds designed for pots as well as gardens in any home improvement shop.

But make sure you also include some perennial varieties in the garden so that there’s always that dash of green most times of the year. Whatever your choice, just don’t get the ones anyone in your house is allergic to.

Adding a few trees, space permitting, is always a great idea. A wall of trees can create a sense of seclusion from your immediate surrounding and also block dust and sound from outside while sucking in air impurities from around your house. But if you can’t go for that wall, at least plant some trees to setup that old hammock for some R&R on lazy afternoons and start hours of great natural therapy!

And if you are really serious about gardening, you might even want to build a small vegetable farm somewhere in there. Imagine cooking with tomatoes and carrots fresh off your own garden!

Now, all this activity on your plot is bound to be demanding for your soil. So take care of it well. Avoid using lots of chemicals and pesticides. It’s neither good for your health, nor for the environment. You can easily find organic supplements to keep your garden healthy without harming anyone or anything.

Large lush improved home gardenIn this day and age, the last thing you want to do is create a beautiful garden that is in fact not as eco-friendly as it could have been. So explore avenues of eco-friendly gardening. For a $100, you can get a decent set of garden lamps that are not only super easy to install but will work automatically entirely on solar power, which means you don’t have to worry about wiring and your electric bills. And if you want to take it up a notch, you can even get solar powered water fountains and other outdoor decors. You can even replace basic garden supplements such as the traditional sprinkler with solar powered ones. And harnessing rain water for the job isn’t a complicated process either.

You can find most of these things in major home improvement outlets. Or you could just run a simple search for “solar garden products” on the internet and find dozens of suppliers ready to have your orders home delivered. So go ahead and build your island of solace, and build it right. It’s time to let your garden grow

Popularity: 37% [?]

The fireplace has that innate ability to add a sense of coziness to a home and makes for great picturesque memories too. But if you think your fireplace is ready for a makeover, make sure you are ready to give it one.

Making over a fireplace can start off fairly easily as you can find ready made kits that only require assembly after purchase. But when buying a kit, bear in mind a few things: what is the color scheme of your room? What kind of decorative theme does it have? Find the mantle style in color that most compliments the room. Making over a fire place can also be a messy affair.

And the last thing you want to do is damage anything in your room in the process. So clear out the room’s main furniture if possible, otherwise at least give everything in the room a protective covering. Remove any wooden trims that might in the area near your fireplace, but do it gently so that you can put it back on when you are done.

Using a grinder with a brush to make sure the brick surface is smooth and dust is removed so that mortar easily stays in place. After that, create a temporary ledge using 2×4s to support your tile layout. And to make sure your mortar works well, mix it with a bit of acrylic additive. You can do this using a drill with a mixing attachment in a bucket. After you’ve stirred the combination, let it sit for about 10 minutes before you use it so that the chemicals of the two elements really fuse.

Once your mix is ready, divide your fireplace into sections, and apply tiles evenly one section at a time. What you want to do here is use a narrow trowel to apply the mortar mix on the back of the tiles as well as on the brick surface for vertical tiles, and only on the tile’s back for those that are positioned flat. You will need to leave this over night to really stay in place.

The next day you will be ready to fill in those gaps and spaces between the tile using grout, essentially the same as mortar but in colors. Once you’re done with this, its time to place the actual mantle. Now the choice of your mantle’s material will decide a lot of factor in the rest of the process but no matter what, there are a few basics you have to keep in mind.

First, position the mantle legs after making sure you have the right measurements. Then place the mantle cap on top. Your choice of material for the mantle will determine the kind of adhesives you will have to use to secure these things stay in place for years to come. And before you know it, your new fireplace is ready.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Renovating can either be a fun experience, or a frustrating one, depending on how well you are prepared for it. And if you’re renovating a house, then we would hope are quite well prepared. After all, the last thing you want to have to do when you’re done is to re-do something you thought was working out just fine.

In any home, space is an issue. You can really never have enough of it. And a well made closet space is an essential part of the house’s over all aesthetics. When smartly framed, your closet can be quite an asset, whether it’s for your precious wardrobe, or next to the main door to just hang coats. Now let’s take it from the top.

First, you want to decide on the ideal size. 27 inches of depth is what you want for minimum, especially if you plan on hanging your clothes. Other size factors depend on the size of your room or what you need. You could go with a smaller single door closet, or a bigger walk in.

The best way to frame your closet is by laying the structure flat on the ground. You might want to consider placing it at one end of the room’s wall, just to make it more space efficient. But make sure it doesn’t obstruct windows or heat boxes.

Once you’ve got the basic raw materials ready, make sure you’ve got the hardware too; apart from your tool box, keep in handy a nail gun, a power miter box and a compressor. If you don’t have it on you, you could easily rent all three for less than $100 a day.

After you measure the wall height, you should cut them into length and lay them out between the top and sole plates that will be fixed to your ceiling and floor respectively. Also, figure out where your door will be centered and make sure you mark each spot that needs nailing or trimming, and each part of the frame clearly. After that, it’s really just putting the parts in place carefully.

Once your frame is ready, hoist it up carefully to put in place using 3 screws to fix the top of the frame to the ceiling. Place your choice of doors on to the frame and if you want to put a light bulb inside, it is advised you consult your local electrical inspector and use only fluorescent lights.

Popularity: 41% [?]

In today’s fast paced and busy life, taking time out to improve your home can be a great way for relaxing. There are many do it yourself home improvement options and ideas for decks and patios, besides other spaces. Decks and Patios enhance the quality of the outdoor space. Decks can be of any shape, size and color. Only your imagination is the limit, and maybe your budget!

Simple to construct, decks and patios do not require any expertise nor do they require professional advice, unless it is a complicated structure or design. Start by browsing through various home improvement magazines, online DIY home improvement websites and get a basic idea about the deck and patio building process, materials, and tools involved. This information will help you better understand the time frame and budget that will be required to gift yourself a unique and beautiful deck that you will be proud of!

Decking is usually done in wood; but there are other alternatives to this traditional material such as paving stones, or pavers. Wood can be softwood or hardwood. In countries such as U.K., softwood – pressure treated with a preservative to prevent rotting - is commonly used for building decks. But lumber is expensive and requires proper knowledge and tools. Alternatively, “pavers” are easier and cheaper than wood. Paving stones or pavers are easy to maintain, scratch and wear resistant and come in various shapes, colors, and sizes.

Do it yourself home improvement for deck and patio is an easy, and economical way to give a fresh new look to your existing or new yard.

Popularity: 30% [?]

In today’s fast paced and busy life, taking time out to improve your home can be a great way for relaxing. There are many do it yourself home improvement options and ideas for decks and patios, besides other spaces. Decks and Patios enhance the quality of the outdoor space. Decks can be of any shape, size and color. Only your imagination is the limit, and maybe your budget!

Simple to construct, decks and patios do not require any expertise nor do they require professional advice, unless it is a complicated structure or design. Start by browsing through various home improvement magazines, online DIY home improvement websites and get a basic idea about the deck and patio building process, materials, and tools involved. This information will help you better understand the time frame and budget that will be required to gift yourself a unique and beautiful deck that you will be proud of!

Decking is usually done in wood; but there are other alternatives to this traditional material such as paving stones, or pavers. Wood can be softwood or hardwood. In countries such as U.K., softwood – pressure treated with a preservative to prevent rotting - is commonly used for building decks. But lumber is expensive and requires proper knowledge and tools. Alternatively, “pavers” are easier and cheaper than wood. Paving stones or pavers are easy to maintain, scratch and wear resistant and come in various shapes, colors, and sizes.

Do it yourself home improvement for deck and patio is an easy, and economical way to give a fresh new look to your existing or new yard.

Popularity: 25% [?]